How to use MATLAB Functionality from within Python

MATLAB_FOR_PYTHON.md

How to use MATLAB Functionality from within Python

Install MATLAB Engine for Python

• Source your python environment. For me, it is anaconda with the name of virtual environment base.

source activate base

• Change your directory to where you installed MATLAB

cd /usr/local/MATLAB/R2019a/extern/engines/python

Here, my MATLAB is installed in /usr/local/MATLAB/R2019a

• Install matlab engine for python

python setup.py install

This will install matlab engine for python in your current python virtual environment

• To test whether it works:

import matlab.engine

If the import is successful, you won't get any error message

An example use:

I have a matlab class in /home/ivory/VersionControl/Jmscslgroup/ROSBagReader. I want to use it from python. I will do it as follows:

eng = matlab.engine.start_matlab()
eng_return = eng.addpath('/home/ivory/VersionControl/Jmscslgroup/ROSBagReader')

In my case, I have a class in MATLAB called as ROSBagReader that takes an argument bagfile to instantiate the class object which I can use in python as follows:

BagReader = eng.ROSBagReader(bagfile)

References

1. https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_external/matlab-arrays-as-python-variables.html
2. https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_external/call-user-script-and-function-from-python.html